Ideas for DIY Outdoor Fall Flower Planters
Fall in the gardens and outdoors can be an amazing breath of fresh air… literally! The cool temperatures, the vibrant fall colors of the changing landscape, pumpkins, gourds, apples and the many flowers that are available for us to add to our outdoor spaces, are simply amazing. We’ve talked about reviving our summer containers for fall, the best fall perennials and lots of other fall gardening articles (listed at the bottom of this post), today we’re sharing the best flowers and plants for fall flower planters. As an additional bonus, we’re also sharing lots of pictures of all kinds of fall flower pots, along with the recipes to replicate them.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on
one of the links and make a purchase,
I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
See full disclosure here.
Although end of summer flower gardens and containers are looking tired, you can refresh your outdoor landscape and add curb appeal with beautiful fall flower containers.
The Best Flowers and Plants for Outdoor Fall Flower Containers
All the plants on this list make excellent fall container plants. Depending what area of the country you live in and what gardening zone you’re in, as you experiment year-after-year, you will find more annual and perennial flowers and plants to add to this list. In northern gardens many of the fall plants listed here will survive a light frost or two. On the other hand, some of these plants may survive all winter in southern gardens.
- Mums
- Asters
- Strawflowers
- Ornamental kale or cabbage
- Swiss chard
- Creeping Jenny
- Rudbeckia
- Croton
- Dianthus
- Pansies
- Violas
- Creeping jenny
- Ivy
- Grasses – sedge, purple fountain grass
- Ornamental peppers
- Millet
- Snapdragons
- Alyssum
- Celosia
- Zinnias
- Dusty miller
- Coleus
- Calibrachoa
- Coral Bells
- Succulents
- Oxalis (a/k/a shamrock plant)
- Marigolds
- Sweet potato vine
- Herbs
Other Items to Add to Your Fall Planters:
Add some rustic character and whimsy to your Fall flower containers with:
- Pumpkins
- Gourds
- Scarecrows
- Birdhouses
- Fall signs
- Cute picks
- Corn stalks
- Indian corn
- Pinecones
- Acorns
- Fall leaves
- Bittersweet or faux bittersweet
- Birch or other tree limbs
- Dried hydrangeas
- Chinese lanterns
- Willow twigs
- Dried Lotus Pods (I love these things. They look cool in winter planters too.)
- Seed heads from past their prime plants (think coneflowers).
Be creative and use berries, plant foliage, pretty leaves, red dogwood branches, twigs or anything you can come up with from your own backyard.
Your fall flower containers can be simple and homey, or elaborate. The best part is you can go with your style and the style that compliments your home and create a flower pot to adorn your front porch or entry. Or really any place that is visible and can be enjoyed by you, your family and other visitors to your home.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase: “thriller, spiller and filler” when it comes to creating the best container gardens, but we are just going to throw those rules out. There are no rules when creating your fall flower container! Don’t be afraid to mix perennial plants with annual plants, or to use a wide range of colors in your fall containers.
If you don’t like to spend lots of money creating new flower pots, revive your summer planters and reuse what you can from those and add in a few new plants. You can read all about how to do that in Tips on Transitioning Container Gardens to Fall. It includes some examples and tips, and is a great way to create a fall planter on a budget.
DIY Fall Flower Planter Ideas
Get ready, because your creative juices are going to be kicking into overdrive. Don’t have creative juices, that’s okay, we include the recipes for most of these planters.
Just a disclaimer here: some of these pictures are stock photos to demonstrate a classic design. In other cases, we’ve included pictures that were sent in by Gingham Gardens’ readers.
If you’ve followed Gingham Gardens for any length of time, you will have noticed that up-cycled vintage items have been used: a look that I love. You will see lots of those items here today as well. First, my favorite old wheelbarrow. The bright colors from the new flowers and pumpkins really make this planter a focal point in the corner of the yard. This fall planter includes: Asters (purple), 3 chrysanthemums, creeping jenny and coleus (that were left from the summer arrangement) and pumpkins.
A wagon makes the perfect planter for your outdoor Fall arrangements.
This old whiskey barrel planter made a very festive fall flower planter with purple fountain grass, rudbeckia, mums and a pumpkin. The adorable fall sign is available on Etsy. As a side note, this shop has some really cute garden signs.
Flea market finds, such as this wood cart made from barn wood then filled with chrysanthemums and asters, look great in any Fall vignette.
Don’t have just the right pot or planter for your fall flowers? Hollowed out pumpkins make perfect plant pots!
What about creating a trio of fall container plantings. I love these old bushel baskets serving as planters for fall mums. The addition of pumpkins and gourds in one of the baskets creates some added character.
Use an old chair to create the perfect spot for a flower pot. This one includes a mum, pansy, creeping Jenny, calibrachoa with some small pumpkins tucked in.
Vintage, galvanized wash tubs make the best planters. This one was picked up at a flea market several years ago and it’s been used ever since. Leftovers from the summer planter include purple fountain grass and creeping Jenny. The past-their-prime summer annuals were replaced with a mum and a couple of purple kale plants. A scarecrow stake and some pumpkins add personality. Btw, the gorgeous purple flowering plant in the background is a perennial aster in full bloom.
Let’s move away from rustic, country fall planters to this beautiful classy planter of chrysanthemums.
The picture above and the one below are the work of an accomplished gardener in South Carolina. Notice the beautiful Talavera Pottery and the containers of fresh herbs that have been added to her outdoor fall vignettes.
Below is a simple, yet elegant front porch fall flower pot that adorns the home of another accomplished gardener in Colorado. It includes: purple fountain grass, a coneflower, chrysanthemum, calibrachoa and creeping Jenny.
A Gingham Gardens’ reader, Laura, is sharing her fall front porch planter. It includes; a fern, purple fountain grass, a dark red mum, ornamental cabbage, succulents, creeping Jenny and is finished off with pumpkins and a gourd. I love the variety in Laura’s planter.
Herbs make a great addition to your fall planters, or to your fall groupings. Even if you don’t use them in your cooking, they make for a great sensory experience in your gardens. The fall themed flower pot below includes pink dianthus, asters, rudbeckia, creeping jenny and ornamental grass.
Another talented gardener shared this picture of a little vignette she put together outside her front door. I love the big pop of mixed color mums. It just says, “welcome fall.” The wood crates turned upside down add a nice touch of creativity.
Wicker baskets made awesome planters. They don’t last for more than a few seasons, but you can get them cheap at thrift stores or garage sales. The fall flower planter below includes mums, pansies and leftover ivy from a summer flower pot.
More Fall Container Garden Ideas
If you’re in a time crunch, a simple pot of beautiful mums are always a good choice for adding a welcoming fall touch to your front porch or patio. You can never go wrong with fall mums. Before you visit your local garden centers to shop for fall mums, be sure to read: Tips for Keeping Potted Mums Looking Great. When you’re perusing garden centers in the fall, try snapping pictures of the expensive pre-made fall containers and replicating them on my own. Below is a simple, yet gorgeous fall planter with rudbeckia, celosia, ornamental grass, pansies and asparagus fern.
Another pretty, pre-made, fall container that would be easy to replicate (and cheaper). It includes purple fountain grass, ornamental kale, zinnias, pansies and ivy.
Here are some additional Fall Gardening Posts on Gingham Gardens:
Fall Porch Decor
The Best Fall Perennial Flowers
Fall Flower Garden Inspiration (Plus Decor Ideas)
If you’re looking for some more upscale fall planter ideas, check out: Better Homes & Gardens 31 Fall Container Garden Ideas.
So glad you stopped by Gingham Gardens today. Feel free to hang out in the gardens for awhile. If you like what you see, we love to have you join us.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these Ideas for DIY Outdoor Fall Flower Planters, and are inspired to create your own beautiful fall planters. Feel free to pin some of these pictures to your favorite fall decor or container gardening boards on Pinterest, or share the post to your favorite gardening group on Facebook. There are some pin collages at the bottom of the page too.
Happy fall gardening,
Julie
p.s. You can find Gingham Gardens on Pinterest and on Facebook too.
Pins to Share:
Hello, I found your article about ideas for diy outdoor fall flower planters really helpful..thanks, Richard
Hi Joanna, how do I reset my password?
I also still have bulbs to plant. The weather is still ok but very wet. Today is sunny but will rain in the afternoon. Preparing my bed for garlic and will plant tomorrow – another sunny day. I live in the Hamilton area, Ontario, Canada. We are expecting our first frost tonight so I have to get busy and pull my geraniums.
Thanks for the info on overwintering geraniums. I will use both methods.
Nadia
Hi Nadia – your password is at the bottom of every newsletter you receive. The newsletters are sent every Thursday. Send an email to [email protected] if you can’t find it. Thank you, Joanna